Continuous production centrifuge

ABSTRACT

In a continuous-production centrifuge comprising a loading hopper, a material distributing cone, a material receiving perforated basket and a push-pan housed in the bottom of said basket and adapted to be moved in the axial direction thereof for pushing the dried material towards the free edge of said basket, this assembly is disposed centrally of a fixed tank and characterized in that this tank comprises a tangential outlet orifice located at the level of the free edge of said perforated basket, this edge comprising blades adapted to direct the dried material towards said outlet orifice and to create an air current for pneumatically transferring the material, adequate collecting means being provided on the outer side of said orifice; the kinetic energy of the material is utilized for projecting same tangentially towards said outlet orifice, means being provided for adjustably heating the air or gas introduced into the tank of the machine and partaking in the transfer of said material, in order to accelerate the drying of said material.

UnitEd States Patent 1 1 Rousselet 14 1 Apr. 3, 1973 [54] CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION [571' ABSTRACT CENTRIFUGE In a continuous-production centrifuge comprising a [76] Inventor: Joseph Antoine Noel Rousselet, loading hopper, a material distributing cone, a materi- Montalivet, Annonay, France 22 Filed: May 11,1971

[21] Appl. No.: 142,248

521 US. Cl .34 ss, 210/369 51 1m.c1 ..F26b 17/30 58 Field of Search ..34/58; 210/369, 370, 371, 372, 210/373, 374, 375, 376

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,114,778 -47/1938 Fillingel' "230/374 2,343,327 3/1944 Reynolds ....21o/369 3,277,583 10/1966 Mack ..34/S8 3,300,871 1/1967 OConor ..34/58 1,593,678 7/1926 Statler ..34/5a 2,686,595 8/1954 Cox ..210/376 Primary Examiner-Kenneth W. Sprague Attorney-Waters, Roditi, Schwartz & Nissen al receiving perforated basket and a push-pan housed in the bottom of said basket and adapted to be moved in the axial direction thereof for pushing the dried material towards the free edge of said basket, this assembly is disposed centrally of a fixed tank and characterized in that this tank comprises a tangential outlet orifice located at the level of the free edge of said perforated basket, this edge comprising blades adapted to direct the dried material towards said outlet orifice and to create an air current for pneumatically transferring the material, adequate collecting means being provided on the outer side of said orifice; the kinetic energy of the material is utilized for projecting same tangentially towards said outlet orifice, means being provided for adjustably heating the air or gas introduced into the tank of the machine and partaking in the transfer of said material, in order to accelerate the drying of said material.

7 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION CENTRIFUGE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to continuous-production centrifugal machines of the push-pan, vibrationoscillation, or screw-type, with vertical or horizontal axis, or of any other types.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART SUMMARY OF THE-INVENTION It is the essential object of the present invention to avoid the inconveniences broadly set'forth hereinabove and to take advantage of this lost energy for causing or promoting the rational outflow of the dried products. To this end, the centrifuge according to this invention is of the type comprising a loading hopper, a material distributing cone, a perforated basket for collecting the material, and a push-pan fitted in the bottom of said basket and adapted to be moved axially in translation for pushing the dried material towards the free edge of this basket, this assembly being disposed centrally of a fixed tank. 7

This centrifuge is characterized in that said fixed tank comprises a tangential outlet orifice located at the level of the free edge of the perforated basket and that this edge is provided with a set of. blades adapted to project the dried material towards the aforesaid orifice and create a continuous air current constituting a convenient vehicle for pneumatically conveying said material, means being provided beyond said orifice for recovering said material.

Thus, the dried material is no more projected radially against the lateral walls of the tank so as to be recovered or collected at the bottom of this tank in contrast thereto, the kinetic energy contained in the material is utilized for directing this material tangentially towards the outlet orifice. If the dried material has a moderate density or low weight, the air or gas flow created by the blades is sufficient for conveying this material conversely, if this material is relatively dense, it is conveyed more positively by the blades themselves exerting in this case a mechanical throwing action. I

Moreover, for completing the drying of the material,

' means are provided for adjustably heating the air or gas BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In order to afford a clearer understanding of this invention a preferred form of embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a part-elevational, part-sectional view of the machine, the section being taken along the line l-l of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 2 is a plan view from above of the same machine.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The centrifuge according to this invention comprises, in the exemplary form of embodiment illustrated in the drawing, a tank 2, of substantially cylindrical configuration, supporting centrally of its bottom 2a a vertical shaft section 3 the centrifuge further comprises a central or concentric loading or feed hopper 4, a distributing cone 5, a perforated basket 6 carried by a tray 7 supported in turn by a shaft 8, and'a push-pan 9 carried by another central shaft section 10 coaxial with shaft section 8. The distributing cone 5, perforated basket 6 and tray 9 are rotatably driven at a high speed from a motor 12.

According to this invention, the tank 2 comprises a tangential outlet orifice 13 (FIG. 2) substantially level with the top edge of the perforated basket 6. This basket 6 comprises throughout its outer periphery a plurality of radial blades 14 for a purpose to be explained presently.

This centrifuge operates as follows:

The material to be dried is introduced into the central hopper 4 from which it penetrates into the distributing cone 5 revolving at high speed, and eventually falls on the push-pan 9 which projects the material against the inner wall of the perforated basket 6 for removing the liquid therefrom.

In addition to its movement of rotation, the push-pan 9 is pulsated or reciprocated in the axial direction at an adjustable frequency.

During its upward strokes the push-pan 9 pushes the dried material towards the upper edge of basket 6. The quick return or downward movemement of the pushpan 9 creates a gap or vacuum rapidly filled up by fresh material to be dried which will be pushed in turn towards the upper edge of said basket.

As it reaches this edge, the material is picked up or transferred by the blades 14 or by the air current 15 created thereby, so that said material is thrown with force towards the tangential orifice 13 from which it is discharged, the material being collected on the outlet side of this orifice through any known and suitable means. In the preferred machine as shown in the drawing', the axis of the tank and of the centrifuge basket is vertical and the free'edge of the basket, supporting the blades 14, is the upper edge. Only one blade 14 is shown but it will be seen that each blade extends in an upper, peripheral part of the tank in a direction which at least includes a component radial of the tank and basket.

Air or gas is introduced into the tank 2 through the medium of a device 16 of the so-called fan heater type mounted in the upper portion of said tank 2. This fan heater is of substantially cylindrical configuration and comprises onthe one hand peripheral shutters 17 for regulating the ingress of air or gas into the tank 2, and on the other hand means for heating said air or gas.

According to a preferred form of embodiment of this centrifuge, said heating means comprise a plurality of pipes 18 disposed in the path of the air or gas stream in these pipes a hot fluid, such as hot water or steam, is circulated by any suitable means.

Thus, the pneumatic transfer of the dried material by ventilation, in conjunction or not with the mechanical transfer action likely to be exerted by the blades 14, provides a rational discharge of dried product and a complementary removal of any residual moisture therefrom, due to the heating of the air or gas constitut ing the pneumatic transfer vehicle.

It will be seen that the aforesaid heating effect may also be obtained by using any other suitable means, outside the conventional heating systems utilizing water, steam or other fluid. Thus, these means may consist of suitably positioned electric resistance elements disposed at the level of the air or' gas inlet of said tank.

Besides, the pneumatic transfer may be obtained by using a neutral gas. In this case, a fluid-tight circuit will be provided and the complete machine will be designed accordingly.

Moreover, the centrifuge according to the present invention may comprise, across the outlet orifice 13, any duct means capable of directing the dried material towards the intended means, such as further processing means, or simply collecting tanks, or alternately additional fans or any other complementary handling equipment for continuing the transport or transfer of said material as required for further processing operations.

Although a single form of embodiment of this invention has been described and illustrated herein, it will be readily understood that various modifications may be brought thereto without departing from the basic principle of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is:

l. A continuous-production machine for centrifugal drying of material, said machine comprising: a fixed tank; a centrifuge basket concentrically disposed in the tank; means for rotating the basket; a hopper for centrally loading the basket with material to be centrifugally dried; an outlet orifice for dried material in a peripheral part of the tank adjacent the free edge of the basket, said orifice having its axis disposed tangentially to the free edge of the basket; a series of blades secured to the free edge of the basket and extending in said peripheral part of the tank in directions which at least include components radial of the tank and basket, to move dried material towards said outlet orifice and to create an air or gas current, for pneumatic conveyance of such material into said outlet orifice; and means for regulating said air or gas current, including inlet means for air or gas, disposed on the tank adjacent the intake ofthe loading hopper.

2. A machine according to claim 1, also including push-pan means housed in the centrifuge basket for reciprocation axially of the basket to push dried material toward the free edge of the basket and thereby into said air or gascurrent.

A machine according to claim 1, also including heating means, mounted adjacent said inlet means and disposed in the path of the air or gas introduced into the tank through'said inlet means, for heating such air or gas and for thereby supplementing the centrifugal drying.

4. A machine according to claim 3, wherein said heating means consists of electric resistance elements.

5. A machine according to claim 3, wherein said heating means consists of a piping system for circulation of a hot fluid therein.

6. A machine according to claim 5 wherein the hot fluid is water.

7. A machine according to claim 5 wherein the hot fluid is steam. 

1. A continuous-production machine for centrifugal drying of material, said machine comprising: a fixed tank; a centrifuge basket concentrically disposed in the tank; means for rotating the basket; a hopper for centrally loading the basket with material to be centrifugally dried; an outlet orifice for dried material in a peripheral part of the tank adjacent the free edge of the basket, said orifice having its axis disposed tangentially to the free edge of the basket; a series of blades secured to the free edge of the basket and extending in said peripheral part of the tank in directions which at least include components radial of the tank and basket, to move dried material towards said outlet orifice and to create an air or gas current, for pneumatic conveyance of such material into said outlet orifice; and means for regulating said air or gas current, including inlet means for air or gas, disposed on the tank adjacent the intake of the loading hopper.
 2. A machine according to claim 1, also including push-pan means housed in the centrifuge basket for reciprocation axially of the basket to push dried material toward the free edge of the basket and thereby into said air or gas current.
 3. A machine according to claim 1, also including heating means, mounted adjacent said inlet means and disposed in the path of the air or gas introduced into the tank through said inlet means, for heating such air or gas and for thereby supplementing the centrifugal drying.
 4. A machine according to claim 3, wherein said heating means consists of electric resistance elements.
 5. A machine according to claim 3, wherein said heating means consists of a piping system for circulation of a hot fluid therein.
 6. A machine according to claim 5 wherein the hot fluid is water.
 7. A machine according to claim 5 wherein the hot fluid is steam. 